A little kindness goes a long way

While narrating the particular of a job interview in a foreign place, Bakang recalls the generosity of a man who gave him a lift for a significant distance and asked him not to pay a single cent.

On our way from an Agri-business healthcare organisation, in Pienaarsrivier, Limpopo, two male persons, one a learner and another one heading to work asked for a lift to Pankop, where we were heading.

As they hopped on the back of the mini-bakkie, Bakang recalled a beautiful story of the kindness that was once shown to him a few years ago.

I generally have paranoia where giving lifts is concerned. Let’s face it, our country is not safe. But, sometimes the thought of helping others overcomes the fear of anything terrible happening to me.

Furthermore, when I am around Hammanskraal, Pienaarsrivier and Bela Bela, I let my gut down. Also, it will be people I know. They are popular hiking spots since there is a low availability of public transport in the above mentioned areas.

Bakang tells me that from the kindness of the man whom he even forgot to ask for his name, he has learned to help others without expecting anything in return.

When we got to Pankop, we heard a knock of the back window, and that was the learner signaling to us that he would like to board off.

He got off and went to the driver’s side to offer Bakang R20 note, to which he kindly declined and wished the lad well for his exams and for the day.

About 3 kilometres later, a second knock. The man in a uniform to work also signaling to jump off. Without assuming anything even though he witnessed what happened with the learner, he also offered a R20 note that was also declined.

He said thank you several times and we bid him goodbye.

I could see the pleasant surprise on their faces. It meant they hardly come across Bakangs in their lives.

It is Transport month in South Africa, I hope that our cars and the empty seats will be offered to people who ask for lifts going in the directions we are headed.
Our public transport system is very disappointing in many areas outside the CBD and townships. The rural settlement people depend on our generosity as motorists to get by.

And when we do offer them a lift, I pray that we don’t even accept any form of payment from them. I have seen family and friends gladly accepting money from people we lift on the road with excitement.

It baffles me how giving a lift to someone for any distance, to a destination we were going to pass by anyway allows our conscious to accept the money.

For Bakang, he would never charge anyone he gives a lift in his life. This also extends to other parts of his life where helping other is concerned. He helps without expecting anything in return.

As Bakang and I concluded in our conversation, these desperate people take nothing from us. They don’t inconvenience us, they don’t even expect us to not charge them. Most importantly, they simply want to get to their places of work, schools and making a living.

Indeed, our generosity can transport people to their destination, literally.

Kabelo Chabalala.

Kabelo Chabalala is the founder and chairperson of the Young Men Movement (YMM), an organisation that focuses on the reconstruction of the socialisation of boys to create a new cohort of men. Email, kabelo03chabalala@gmail.com ; Twitter, @KabeloJay; Facebook,Kabelo Chabalala

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